Electronic medical records (EMR) are computerized computer records that are created in health care delivery organizations such as private clinics and hospitals. EMRs are critical legal records that are part of the health information system. EMRs are used by health practitioners to monitor, document and manage health care delivery services within the organization. These records contain all the patient’s personal information and medical history. EMR systems allow for the storage, modification and retrieval of information regarding all patients within a health care institution. EMRs are especially helpful in pharmacy management where large volumes of records are kept on patients and medication.
Instructions
1. Identify a member of the staff that who has received EMR training or has worked with the system previously. If there is no staff member with experience or knowledge of EMR, you will have to get an EMR specialist from a medical center or a learning institution to train the students. You can also obtain training materials from these institutions.
2. Identify the skill levels of the nurses in the organization, particularly their familiarity and comfort with computers. Many employees today have either received previous training in information technology or have grown up using it. Older staff however, may not be able to use computers and computer applications as efficiently as the younger generation. Prepare a simple questionnaire with a list of computer terms and ask each nurse which terms she or he is familiar with. Ask the nurses what programs they are familiar with and which ones they are proficient in using.
3. Provide training classes for nurses who are not computer literate to ensure that they learn the basics of computer operations.
4. Begin by teaching the basics of the EMR system and its applications. Divide the students into groups and teach them the specific parts of the system. Each student needs to become familiar with the parts of the system they will be using.
5. Select the most technologically proficient nurses from the groups and teach them the technical aspects of the EMR system. This will be the group that deals with trouble shooting once the system is up and running. They will also be responsible for helping nurses who may have forgotten their training while in the actual working environment.
Tips & Warnings
- EMR is a complex system. Limit the nurses’ training to learning about the parts of the system that they will use on a day-to-day basis. Dedicate a single room in the health facility to EMR training. Design the schedule so that employees are cycled through training during working hours without affecting the running of the rest of the facility.
